Advice and Tools
For every step of your Ostomy Journey
SASS aims to advocate and align the standard of Stoma care and services across South Africa which will be applicable to both the private and public sectors.
Ostomy Care
Tips and Tricks
The South African Society of Stomates (SASS) is a Non-profit organization formed by Ostomates across Southern Africa to facilitate a “holistic” approach to ostomy patient care by bridging the gap between the private and public sectors whilst advocating for the rights of fellow ostomates throughout the country.
SASS VALUE STATEMENT
SASS is dedicated to advocating for the rights and well-being of ostomates across South Africa. We strive to bridge the gap between private and public healthcare sectors, ensuring that all ostomates receive the highest standard of care.
Our mission is to provide comprehensive support, education, and resources to empower ostomates and their families, helping them navigate their new normal with confidence and dignity. By collaborating closely with clinicians and healthcare professionals, we ensure that our community receives expert care and guidance.
Aligning with global standards set by The International Ostomy Association (IOA), we aim to foster a community where every ostomate feels supported, informed, and valued.
Featured Topics
For Living with a Colostomy, Ileostomy or Urostomy
Help us achieve
What we set out to achieve with YOUR help
GET EDUCATED
Medically reviewed surgery-specific information. Making sure you have access to the best possible care. Ostomy pouch management tips, diet & nutrition, skincare, sexuality, travel tips and more!
FEEL SUPPORTED
Support to you & your family whilst you transition into your new normal. You will have access to a local peer support group, where you can get answers to questions, or connect with our Facebook community.
BE AN ADVOCATE
We aim to advocate the standard of Stoma care across private and public sectors, whilst aligning with the global standards set out by The International Ostomy Association (IOA).
Nominations Are Now Open
Every ostomate has a story.
And behind many of those stories is a stoma nurse who provided comfort during uncertainty, confidence during recovery, and support when it was needed most.
The SASS Stoma Nurse Excellence Awards 2026 are your opportunity to recognise the nurses whose compassion, dedication and expertise have made a lasting impact.
We are now inviting:
✅ Ostomates
✅ Family members and caregivers
✅ Clinicians and healthcare professionals
✅ Colleagues and peers
to nominate outstanding stoma nurses from across South Africa.
These are the professionals who go beyond clinical care to restore dignity, build confidence and improve lives.
If a stoma nurse has made a difference to you or someone you care about, we encourage you to share their story.
🏆 Submit your nomination today:
sasstomates.org.za/stoma-nurse-awards
Because exceptional nurses deserve exceptional recognition.
#StomaNurseExcellenceAwards #SASS #NominationsOpen #StomaNurse #OstomyCare #HealthcareHeroes #NursingExcellence #CompassionInCare #PatientCare #SouthAfrica
Introducing the SASS Stoma Nurse Excellence Awards 2026
Stoma care is more
than clinical care.
It is compassion.
It is resilience.
We invite patients, families, colleagues and healthcare professionals to help us recognise the nurses who make a real difference.
If a stoma nurse has made an impact on your life, now is the time to say thank you.
Nominate a deserving stoma nurse today:
sasstomates.org.za/stoma-nurse-awards
Together, let`s celebrate the professionals who help ostomates navigate one of life`s most challenging journeys with confidence and dignity.
#StomaNurseExcellenceAwards #SASS #StomaNurse #OstomyCare #NursingExcellence #PatientCare #HealthcareHeroes #CompassionInCare #StomaTherapy #SouthAfrica
If ostomates are not counted, they are overlooked.
- Healthcare systems plan services based on data.
- Funders allocate resources based on data.
- Policymakers make decisions based on data.
Yet there is currently no national registry showing how many ostomates live in South Africa or what their needs are.
SASS is changing that.
The National Stoma Registry will help provide the evidence needed to advocate for better access to products, specialised support services, education, and equitable ostomy care.
Registering takes less than 2 minutes, but the impact could help shape the future of ostomy care for years to come.
Register today:
https://sasslink.co.za/register.php
Because every ostomate deserves to be counted.
#CountUsIn #NationalStomaRegistry #SASSLink #OstomyCare #HealthcareAdvocacy #SouthAfrica
Introducing the SASS Stoma Nurse Excellence Awards 2026
Behind every confident ostomate is often a nurse who took the time to listen, teach, support and care.
From preparing patients before surgery to helping them regain confidence afterwards, stoma nurses play a vital role in changing lives every day.
Yet their dedication, compassion and expertise often go unrecognised.
That is why SASS is proud to launch the Stoma Nurse Excellence Awards 2026.
These awards celebrate the extraordinary stoma nurses across South Africa who go above and beyond to provide compassionate, patient-centred care.
We invite patients, families, colleagues and healthcare professionals to help us recognise the nurses who make a real difference.
💙 Compassion in Care
💙 Trusted Support
💙 Better Outcomes
💙 Dignity & Respect
If a stoma nurse has made an impact on your life, now is the time to say thank you.
🏆 Nominate a deserving stoma nurse today:
sasstomates.org.za/stoma-nurse-awards
Together, let`s celebrate the professionals who help ostomates navigate one of life`s most challenging journeys with confidence and dignity.
#StomaNurseExcellenceAwards #SASS #StomaNurse #OstomyCare #NursingExcellence #PatientCare #HealthcareHeroes #CompassionInCare #StomaTherapy #SouthAfrica
“Your future is still yours.”
On Youth Day (South Africa), we honour the right of every young person to grow, discover who they are, and shape their future.
For young ostomates, the journey may look different… but it should never feel limiting.
Because access to the right products and support means:
🌱 Confidence in social spaces
🌱 Freedom to explore identity
🌱 Mental well-being that grows with them
And more than that, it means showing up fully: at school, with friends, and in the moments that shape who they become.
Youth isn’t about perfection… It’s about possibility.
Today, we stand with young ostomates who continue to dream boldly, and deserve every opportunity to do so.
Share a message of encouragement for a young ostomate
Do You Have a Stoma? We Need Your Voice.
For too long, there has been no reliable national data showing how many ostomates live in South Africa, where they are located, what challenges they face, or whether they have access to the products and support they need.
That is about to change.
SASSLink is building South Africa`s first National Stoma Registry — a secure platform designed to help us better understand the needs of the ostomy community and strengthen advocacy for improved care across both the public and private healthcare sectors.
Every registration helps create a clearer picture of the realities faced by ostomates and supports our mission of achieving equitable ostomy care for all.
Scan the QR code or register online at:
https://sasslink.co.za/register.php
Better stoma care starts with YOU.
#SASSLink #StomaRegistry #OstomyCare #OstomyAwareness #StomaSupport #PatientAdvocacy #HealthcareEquity #SouthAfrica #BetterStomaCare #SASS
🌙 Eid Mubarak 🌙
Whether you are celebrating Eid today or tomorrow, SASS wishes you and your loved ones peace, strength, and blessings on this sacred occasion.
In a world where many are carrying unseen struggles, Eid reminds us of the importance of compassion, humility, and community. It is a time to recognise our shared humanity, that despite our different backgrounds, beliefs, cultures, and experiences, we are strongest when we care for one another.
The spirit of Eid beautifully echoes the African principle of Ubuntu, “I am because we are.”
A reminder that dignity, kindness, and healing are not meant for some, but for all.
May this Eid bring comfort to those facing hardship, hope to those feeling weary, and gratitude for the communities that continue to stand beside one another.
From all of us at SASS.
Eid Mubarak to all who are celebrating.
“Care is more than treatment… It’s dignity.”
On International Nurses Day, we honour the nurses who do more than heal wounds…they restore confidence, independence, and hope.
For ostomates, care doesn’t end at surgery.
In many ways, that’s where it truly begins.
It lives in the small, powerful moments:
✔ A product that fits — reducing complications and discomfort
✔ Guidance that supports real lives, not just clinical outcomes
✔ Care that protects mental and emotional well-being
Because when an ostomate feels secure in their body… they return to school, to work, to life.
That impact is not accidental; it’s driven by skilled, compassionate nursing care.
Today, we recognise the nurses who make dignity possible, every single day.
Tag a nurse who made a difference
SASS Blog
What has been happening at SASS
SASS Stoma Nurse Excellence Awards 2026
Honouring Nurses Who Change Lives Behind every ostomate’s journey is often a nurse who made an impossible moment feel manageable.A nurse who provided dignity during uncertainty.A nurse who offered reassurance, compassion, education, and hope. The SASS Stoma Nurse Excellence Awards were created to recognise and celebrate stoma nurses who go above and beyond in supporting […]
SASS2026 Conference: Multidisciplinary Ostomy Care Conference in South Africa
The South African Society of Ostomates (SASS) will host the SASS2026 Conference at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Cape Town, bringing together healthcare professionals involved in the care and rehabilitation of people living with a stoma. The conference is designed as a multidisciplinary clinical platform, supporting knowledge-sharing across nursing, physiotherapy, biokinetics, dietetics, occupational therapy, and […]
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